Why American Science & Engineering's Shares Jumped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of American Science & Engineering (NAS: ASEI) shot as much as 12% higher today after the company landed a big contract.

So what: According to reports, the TSA awarded the company a $245 million contract for advanced imaging technology. The company hasn't made an official announcement, but the contract has been published, and I would expect something official before the open of trading tomorrow.

Now what: This is a huge deal for the company, because this one contract is larger than its revenue for all of last year. I think this is very bullish for the company, but it needs to turn this contract into bottom-line results for it to be a long-lasting pop. Shares trade at 30 times forward estimates, so there is already a lot of optimism priced into the stock.

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